Su Rong cried out, and Zhou Gu took a step to rush into the delivery room.
Eldest Princess Shengan grabbed him, "You’re not allowed in. You will scare her."
Zhou Gu stopped in his tracks, his face deathly pale, and he was beside himself with worry, "Grandmother."
Eldest Princess Shengan, with no other choice, turned and waved to Xie Yuan, "Master Xie, please keep an eye on him. I will go take a look inside the delivery room."
Xie Yuan stood up and pressed down on Zhou Gu’s shoulders, his voice firm but not loud, "Compose yourself, what kind of behavior is this?"
Zhou Gu fell silent at once.
When Eldest Princess Shengan entered the delivery room, she made sure to firmly close the door behind her.
Zhou Gu stared intently at the delivery room door, hearing Su Rong’s painful cries and screams, and he felt as though his soul was about to leave him, "Uncle Xie, I..."
Xie Yuan sighed, "It’s okay, this is normal."
Years ago, he and Su Xu stood outside while Zhenmin was giving birth to Xiaoqi and were almost scared to death as well. No man waiting outside the delivery room could remain indifferent under such circumstances.
When the Old Duke of Protectorate and Duke Cui heard the news and came over, it was precisely when Su Rong’s cries were the most agonizing. Both men nearly went pale. Duke Cui looked at the Nanchu King, Xie Yuan, and the others, "Has the doctor gone in yet?"
Xie Yuan shook his head, being the most composed of them all, "There’s no need for the doctor just yet. The Eldest Princess and two ladies are inside the delivery room."
Upon hearing this, Duke Cui felt a sense of relief. Only then did he notice that his usually composed and reserved grandson was now in a state of utter disarray. He offered words of comfort, "Giving birth is a trial all women must face. The Princess has always been in good health; there will be no issues."
Zhou Gu nodded dumbly.
The Old Duke of Protectorate, on this occasion, did not scold Zhou Gu for being weak. He glanced at him and said, "Back when your grandmother was giving birth for the first time, she was screaming louder than this, nearly bursting my eardrums, more terrifying than the wailing and howling on the battlefield."
Zhou Gu turned to look at the Old Duke of Protectorate.
"I’m not lying to you. Your grandmother grew up pampered and sheltered, never having suffered a bit," the Old Duke of Protectorate explained. "Su Rong has trained in the martial arts since she was young. She’s strong. And since the doctor has also said the baby’s position is good, her delivery should go smoother than most women’s. Put your mind at ease, there won’t be any problems."
Zhou Gu nodded, but his complexion did not improve by much.
The Old Duke of Protectorate looked at him and couldn’t help but feel sentimental. He still remembered how Zhou Gu had stubbornly refused to marry Lady Su Qi from Jiangning County, with that arrogant, overbearing attitude as if he was invincible in the world, which he clearly remembered. But now? Zhou Gu’s current state was almost unbearable to look at.
After a long and difficult wait, a loud cry of a newborn baby rang out from the delivery room.
"It’s born, it’s born!" Everyone was overjoyed, stirred with excitement.
Zhou Gu could no longer hold back and rushed into the delivery room.
Inside the delivery room, the air was thick with the smell of blood. Su Rong lay on the bed, pale-faced and listless.
Nanny Zhao was holding the newborn, preparing to clean it. The Lady of the Duke was wiping Su Rong’s sweat, while Eldest Lady Su was covering Su Rong with a blanket. Eldest Princess Shengan stood in front of the bed, chatting cheerfully with Su Rong, "That’s good. This child cares for his mother; he didn’t torment you too long. Just over half a day and he was born. Some children really grind down their mothers, taking a whole day and night."
When Zhou Gu burst through the door, this was the scene he saw. He rushed to the side of the bed, opened his mouth, his eyes red, staring at Su Rong without making a sound.
Eldest Princess Shengan gave him a slap and chided with a laugh, "Xiaoqi was right. This spineless one is even worse than you. He was outside wishing he could take your place in giving birth, almost scaring himself to death. I was so afraid he would frighten you, I had to forcefully stop him to prevent any disruption."
Su Rong extended her hand to Zhou Gu, weakly calling him, "Zhou Gu, come here."
Zhou Gu immediately rushed to the bedside, crouched down, carefully hooked her hand, and asked hoarsely, "Does it hurt a lot? We won’t have any more children."
Su Rong smiled, "It’s not that painful, just hold me and I’ll be fine."
Zhou Gu immediately held her gently, buried his head in the crook of her neck, and said hoarsely, "Let’s not have any more, okay? It’s too frightening."
Su Rong, lacking the strength to shake her head, said, "It’s not frightening; you’re just scaring yourself."
Zhou Gu admitted, "Alright, it’s me scaring myself. So we won’t have any more, okay?"
Su Rong, too weak to argue, said faintly, "I am both sleepy and tired, I want to sleep, but I want you to hold me, and I also want to take a look at the child."
Zhou Gu immediately said, "You sleep first, the child won’t disappear, you can see them when you wake up."
Su Rong refused, "No."
After the hard work of giving birth, she had to take a look before sleeping; just now, she could see stars before her eyes and didn’t catch a glimpse of what the blood-covered little thing looked like.
Zhou Gu could only agree, "Alright then!"
He continued to hold Su Rong and called out to the Lady of the Duke, "Mother, quick, bring the little one over, let Su Qi have a look."
The Lady of the Duke really wanted to smack him on the head, and said with dissatisfaction, "What ’little one’? That’s your daughter."
Zhou Gu didn’t respond, and shifted slightly to wipe the sweat off Su Rong’s face with his sleeve, his face showing lingering fear and concern, "Why didn’t you cry out when you were in pain? I was worried. It’s said that childbirth is very painful and women are supposed to cry out. My grandfather said when my grandmother was giving birth, her screams were more agonizing than the cries of soldiers on the battlefield, but you didn’t cry out at all, which scared me terribly. Later, when you did cry out, you nearly scared my soul away. It was too frightening."
Su Rong: "..."
What kind of talk is that!
Eldest Princess Shengan, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh and scold, "That old fool, slandering me behind my back again."
She did cry loudly, but was it really like the howling of ghosts and wolves? She would have to settle the score with him later, that old fool! She couldn’t help but poke Zhou Gu’s head, "Have you gone daft? Listen to yourself, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
Zhou Gu immediately corrected himself, saying to Su Rong, "It, it wasn’t that frightening really."
Su Rong laughed out loud, but immediately after, she drew in a sharp breath of air.
Zhou Gu’s expression changed in an instant, "Are you in pain again? Where does it hurt? Should I call the doctor?"
"Stop making her laugh," chided Eldest Princess Shengan sternly, glancing at Zhou Gu, then instructed someone, "Bring the child over quickly, let Su Qi have a look, so she can rest soon."
The Lady of the Duke chimed in amidst the bustle, "She’s just been cleaned up, wrapped in a blanket, and ready to be brought over."
Soon, Eldest Lady Su hurried over with the child, "Here we are, here we are, such a pretty little girl, quickly let your mother have a look."
Zhou Gu shifted aside to make room and also peered at the baby in the arms of the Grand Doctor.
Perhaps because Su Rong was well-nourished during her pregnancy, the newborn had thick hair, her eyes couldn’t open yet, and she was a small bundle with a rosy face and tiny features.
Su Rong couldn’t see what was pretty about her and shifted her gaze to Zhou Gu, who also seemed unable to find the baby pretty, looking back at Su Rong; both new parents fell into a mutual silence.
Eldest Princess Shengan laughed and scolded, "Alright, take her away! Don’t let them look anymore. My great-granddaughter is beautiful; they just don’t understand. Once she grows up, she’ll surely be as delicate and lovely as a little porcelain doll."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
